This post is a guest blog post on the Canadian Women’s Foundation website and it can be read here

Village Bloggurls, August 2014

Our voices matter and are important because often times our views, opinions, and ideas are brushed off or deemed insignificant just because we are girls, living in this male dominated society. Even though the laws protect women’s rights, it does not mean that people respect our rights. Girls are treated differently because of their gender and their rights are nullified just for being born a female. Even today, many girls are judged or looked down upon just because of their gender.

Our voices matter because we SHOULD be able to speak up if we are being treated unfairly, or if we feel something is wrong. We shouldn’t let people disregard what we are saying. I cannot recall how many times I refused to do something and asked “Why can’t dad do it?” My mom replies “because that’s what girls are supposed to do.” It goes on and on, and finally she says “that’s just how it is”. But that’s not how it is. Why do girls have to be stuck in this gender role? If girls continue to brush aside actions that go against their rights then the cycle will go on and nothing will change.

At the end of the day, we’re all human. So why differentiate between males and females? If we are able to speak up and not be looked down upon, then maybe things will change. This is the reason why girls need to speak up and let our voices be heard so we can empower other girls around the world to stand up and voice their opinions. By taking advantage of the resources available to us, we can make and achieve social change. That is why in Village Bloggurls, we communicate our ideas, opinions, and experiences to other girls through media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, tumblr and Instagram. Social media is a great tool to convey our thoughts, opinions, and experiences. It is the best way to reach out to other girls around the world with the hope to influence and inspire them to stand up and speak up for themselves.

We need to make sure our voices are heard or else nothing will ever change. That’s why Girls’ voices, like ours, matter:

We use our voices to show a ‪#‎girlseyeview so that no one tries to tell our stories for us – Affernia

We use our voices to stand out – Allison

We use our voices to express ourselves to others safely – Nena

Our voices inform the world that girls can’t be defined by others – Sophia

There’s no one right idea [about being a girl]. We’re different people – Vicki